Not Worthless nor Worth Less
by staymagical
Summary: Thirsty. He was so thirsty.


Thirsty. He was so thirsty.

They had been traveling for some time now. Days, he thought. Might have been weeks though for all his coherent thought and awareness of time.

It had started with a simple hunting trip, a hunting trip that of course didn't turn out exactly as planned. Merlin had packed enough provisions for two days, three if they rationed it. But of course, not barely a day in they had been ambushed. Typical. Couldn't go too far from Camelot with the bloody prince without some threat finding them like moths to a flame. Arthur had fought valiantly—if only because Merlin helped with subtle bursts of magic here and there to hinder their attackers—before their attackers had knocked Merlin upside the head effectively subduing him and thus, Arthur. The next few hours—may have been days really; Merlin couldn't tell time with his blood pounding out a stampede in his skull—they were transported, bound, blindfolded and gagged to some unknown location. It did have some lovely cells though. Cold, damp, and rat infested but thankfully easy enough to break out of. That is, if you had magic.

They had escaped easily enough. Arthur had managed to pilfer his sword back once they had made it out of their cell (thankfully without the prince noticing that his servant's eyes were glowing gold right before they launched themselves into the cell door) and clambered outside without raising the alarm. That however, was where the plan went downhill.

Outside, they found themselves no longer within the confines of the lush green forest and foliage but in a desert wasteland with nothing nearby but the fortress they had just escaped from. A well sat outside the compound and on a whim, Merlin had snatched the water skin from one of the guards Arthur had fallen on their way out. He quickly ran over and filled it up before Arthur was grabbing a fistful of his tunic and hauling him off at a run. Their escape had been noted and unless they wanted to get better acquainted with their captors or end up a trophy on the end of a sword, they needed to move. Now.

In time, yes they did lose the tail they had on them. Or else their kidnappers had just decided they weren't worth the trouble. Or knew they were likely to perish out in the desert anyway. Merlin suspected they were right.

Now he was tired hungry and above all, thirsty. He had known their water wouldn't last them long, at least not long enough for them to reach another source and definitely not with one skin trying to sustain both of them. So he had cut back on his intake greatly from the beginning, instead opting to give Arthur most of it. The prince too had been rationing, but still took a sip every time Merlin offered him the skin. The warlock on the other hand, took none. There was not much left and he had vowed to protect Arthur no matter what.

So he kept going, feeling his body getting weaker with every hour that passed. He was exhausted, had a headache that pounded along with his rapid heartbeat, mouth as dry as the ground they traveled upon and his rapid breathing didn't help any. His body had even ceased to sweat despite the heat and exertion he was expelling. He had long ago stopped his incessant chatter that seemed to pop up whenever he was nervous or bored, instead opting to save what energy and moisture he still held onto within his body. Still, he knew he was coming to the end of his rope.

"Come on, Merlin. I can see the tree line in the distance," Arthur said, his head perking up out of his slight slump as he trudged along. Even with the water that Merlin had been secretly refusing in favor of Arthur's health, the prince was deteriorating slowly. Slowly, yes, but not enough to be damning if the warlock had any say in it.

Merlin stayed silent, not having to concentration or the energy to respond, instead passing the nearly empty water skin to Arthur wordlessly upon seeing the prince's need.

Arthur nodded gratefully without looking at Merlin, grabbing the skin and testing the weight. He sighed.

"Not much left," he whispered wistfully before taking a small sip and handing the skin back to Merlin.

Merlin fumbled with it for a second, all his concentration going into not collapsing on the dry ground with every step that he could hardly do anything else, let alone raise his arm to retrieve their lifeline. He knew that with the lack of water he had consumed he should have been rendered unconscious long ago, but they were close, oh so close. He assumed his magic was keeping him going, his body relying upon it so heavily that if it were to somehow falter or leave him entirely, he wouldn't live another minute. It was not a pleasant thought, that this is what it had all come to, but the fact that he was still breathing and his heart still beating no matter how rapidly and stuttering was what mattered. And the fact that he was ensuring Arthur's return to Camelot is what made it worth all the pain and misery.

An hour later Merlin heard Arthur speaking once again, but his brain had dulled down all functions except the movement of his feet, his eyes half-lidded and staring unseeingly at the ground. It wasn't until he felt cool hands upon either side of his face that his hearing returned somewhat.

"—come on. _Mer_lin. Merlin!" Arthur's voice was slightly high-pitched, as if he were concerned. But that was ridiculous, Arthur didn't get concerned. Arthur didn't show any emotion except irritation to match his arrogant nature.

Merlin tried to focus his attention enough to respond, to open his eyes and make sure Arthur was alright. But the second his concentration shifted to other senses, his knees buckled without the full support of his dehydrated brain. Hands steadied him, closely followed by arms that slowly lowered him to the ground. And then Arthur was speaking again but with the lack of steady movement, Merlin's consciousness was slowly slipping and he was unable to discern what the prince was saying.

A sharp slap to his left cheek brought Merlin back to awareness. He opened his eyes halfway.

"There you are. Stay with me now," Arthur ordered, though his tone was soft and, yes, Merlin concluded it was laced with concern. How touching.

The prince's head loomed above Merlin, his features distorted and fuzzy. The warlock blinked a couple of times, trying to focus his vision until the blue of Arthur's eyes pierced him in sharp relief. He could feel hands roaming over his face still, checking his vitals and then for any injuries upon the rest of his body.

"I'm alright," Merlin croaked, the words coming out no more than a whisper through his parched lips.

"Like hell you are. You look like death Merlin. How long have you gone without water?"

Merlin swallowed reflexively but there was nothing to gulp except air. He opened his mouth to answer, only to find he was unable.

"Right," Arthur stated with understanding. He unhooked the water skin from Merlin's belt, uncorked it and pressed in to his lips. But there was nothing left, only a few measly drops ran into the warlock's mouth. Not nearly enough to quench his thirst or much of anything for that matter.

Arthur cursed, looking up toward their destination, or so Merlin assumed. He couldn't really orient himself from where he was lying.

"Alright, well, we can't stay here. Won't do us any good. Need to get to the trees and hopefully, we can find some water." Arthur glanced back down at Merlin, his eyes calculating, trying to solve the problem at hand. Merlin quickly offered a solution.

"Just leave me," he rasped out. He knew Arthur couldn't afford to expand the extra energy it would require to haul Merlin along with him. And despite what the prince had said, the trees were still a long way off. Too far to lug a nearly dead weight servant.

"Not a chance," Arthur quipped before grasping onto Merlin's arm and hauling him none too gently to his feet. The prince quickly ducked under the warlock's arm as Merlin threatened to topple right back over, his legs refusing to support his full weight.

He would have loved to argue, loved to try and refuse to be brought along, but before he could, Arthur began moving and Merlin was forced to help him along as best he could unless they both end up in a heap on the ground. His feet stumbled and tripped along under him, taking all his concentration to not have them drag along behind as he kept with Arthur's slow pace but steady pace.

They carried on this way even as darkness fell, knowing that if they were to stop and rest, they would likely not get up again. No words were exchanged, no sound made except their labored breathing and Merlin's occasional sharp intake of breath as his head gave a sharp pound through his skull.

Finally, as the first rays of light touched the sky, Merlin felt the terrain under foot change. The ground became softer, the air slightly wetter. It wasn't until he heard twigs breaking under Arthur's boots that he knew they had finally made it. They had reached the forest.

A few paces later, Merlin felt their movements stop and then the world tipped on its side. He blearily opened his eyes, not remembering when he had closed them on their journey, and found himself on the ground, his back propped against something rough. The sight before him was beautiful. Plants and trees lay around him, the wild untamed beauty of a forest surrounding him and welcoming him with open arms. He never thought he would be so happy to be in the forest in all his life. He sighed in relief, knowing that they had made it and Arthur would be alright. He felt himself slipping, his mind shutting down as the need to keep moving left him and his body relaxed. He closed his eyes.

* * *

A splash of water hit his face and he awoke suddenly, sputtering and coughing. Before he could do anything more, a water skin was shoved into his hand and his focus zeroed in on it, on the weight of the water he knew was sloshing around within. He tipped it back and gulped at it greedily. A hand closed around his own suddenly, restraining the frantic movements his need that consumed him.

"Slowly. You'll make yourself sick."

Not a minute later, he felt the water in his empty stomach churn and then it was coming back up. He lurched to the side as he heaved, feeling Arthur's hand massaging soothing circles on his back. When his body finished, Arthur grasped his arm, gently sitting him back up against the trunk, before handing him the water skin again.

"Slowly this time," Arthur said with amused exasperation. Merlin shot him a tired glare but heeded his warning this time and sipped at the water. He could feel Arthur watching him, the concern having never left his face completely.

"Don't do that again." The words came out almost too softly for Merlin to hear. He glanced up at Arthur hesitantly, but the prince wasn't looking at him, instead finding a stick at his feet extremely interesting. "Don't ever deny yourself sustenance in favor of me. Ever." Arthur's eyes shot up to meet his own, the seriousness and anger causing Merlin to flinch slightly under its intensity. "You are not worthless nor worth less. Despite what anyone says, you matter just as much as anyone else."

Merlin just stared at Arthur for a minute before realizing the prince was waiting for a response. He nodded quickly, wincing as the movement sent a sharp stab through his pounding head. Arthur shook his head at the warlock, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Idiot."

Merlin smiled back. "Prat."

* * *

**A/N:** For all of you who are also following my other fic, Don't Let Them Fool You, no it is not finished and yes I shall be finishing it. Been so busy that I haven't had time but I thought I would give you guys this fic to sedate you all for now. Don't worry, IT. WILL. BE. FINISHED. Until then, have fun be safe and don't die!


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